a programmable usually electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data
As complexity of these electronic computers increased (and price decreased), Operating Systems (OS) were created more institutions started to get their hands on them.
Some problems started to arise:
How do we keep people from accessing data they should not have access to?
How do we create a system in which users can execute multiple programs at once?
How do we let multiple people have access to this fancy new machine at once?
Memory management
Input and Output
Security
Command Interpreter (more on this later)
Later on…
File Management (more on this later)
Resource Management
Windows (Home PCs, Servers, Workstations)
Mac OS (Home PCs, Portable PCs, Workstations)
Linux (Servers, Workstations)
Terminals were used in conjunction with time sharing systems.
Typically, did not have computing power and required a mainframe computer to perform operations. Used to interact with the mainframe, run programs, etc.
Packaged data
Typically have a format to which they adhere.
Raw text data, made up of ASCII characters.
Python scripts are essentially TXT files.
Operating systems handle file management differently.
The common denominator is that:
There is always a root directory (the topmost location).
Everything lies beneath the root in a path through the folders.
Folders within folders structure creates a 'directory tree'.